Sleeve-valve engine



Dec. 10, 1929. w. WADDELL 1,739,273

SLEEVE VALVE ENGINE Filed Aug. 6, 1927 n l 'I II I I\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\w I .5 INVENTOR.

Ma #2 M M9 041 A TTORNE Y.

Patented Dec. 10, 1929 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM WADDELL, OFDETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO CONTINENTAL MOTORS CORPORATION, OFDETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA SLEEVE-VALVE ENGINEApplication filed August 6, 1927. Serial No. 211,015.

to the cylinder.

Ordinarily the sleeve is driven at a single point circumferentially. Oneof the objects of my invention is to provide a multiple or dual sleevedrive whereby tilting of the sleeve and non-symmetry of thrusts on thesleeve incident to the single drive are overcome.

Such a dual drive is particularlyuseful in heavy duty engines, such asare used in busses,

trucks, or for stationary power plant pur- Q poses; and is useful ingeneral uses of internal combustion engines.

A further object of my invention resides in the provision of a dualdrive having means for compensating for minor variations in machiningand fitting the parts of the drive. With my invention the drives neednot be exactly synchronized, since the mechanism will compensate for theordinary variations in machining and fitting usually encountered in shoppractice. Excessive wear and broken parts arethus avoided.

A further feature of my invention resides in the provision of amulti-drivemechanism for a sleeve valve of the type aforesaid con- 5veniently located in the engine crank-case adj acent the lower end ofthe sleeve.

With these and other objects in View my invention also resides in thenovel combination and arrangement of parts more particularly hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which like referencecharacters indicate corresponding parts,

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation view through an engine cylinder,

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the drive mechanism, and

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view through 33 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings reference character A repsleeve resents the engine, Fig.1 illustrating a sectional view through one of the cylinders 10 thereof.Between piston 11 and cylinder 10 is the single sleeve valve 12. Thesleeve and cylinder ports are not shown as these are well known in theart and form no part of this invention. Driven from the crankshaft 13,as by gearing indicated by pitch circles 13, at equal angular velocitiesof half the crankshaft speed (for a four stroke cycle engine forillustration) are valve shafts 14 and 15. These valve shafts arerespectively provided with driving gears 16 at each cylinder 10, eachdriving gear meshing with a driven gear 17 fixed to a cross shaft 18rotatable in bearings 19, 20 and carrying a crank 21.

Surrounding sleeve 12 is a compensating sleeve driving ring 22 drivenfrom cranks 21 by ball and socket connections 23 therewith, the pins 21being slidable within the balls to permit the ring 22 and sleeve 12 tobe driven in an oscillating path. The sleeves 12 may be perforated at 24opposite cranks 21 to permit close nesting of the parts.

The ring 22 is pivotally connected with the sleeve 12 through pivot pins25 best shown in Fig. 3.

The cranks 21 are preferably positioned opposite the ends of a sleevediameter and the pins 25 are preferably located at the ends of adiameter lying at right angles with the first mentioned diameter. Asmall clearance 25 is preferably provided between the ring 22 and thesleeve valve to permit a slight shifting movement of the ring.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the sleeve will be driven'inthe desired path from opposite points, affording a balanced drivingaction onthe sleeve. At thesametime the drives need not be exactlysynchronized as minor variations in machining, fitting, and meshing ofgears will be compensated for by the ring 22 which is capable of acertain amount of movement during the driving action to relieve anytendency toward binding. Thus the ring may tilt on the pins 25 and shiftslightly transversely of the sleeve due to the clearance 25 I have thusprovided a balanced dual sleeve drive and as a further refinement I haveprovided the compensating possibilities for the ring as described. Ifdesired the latter mentioned feature may be eliminated since myinvention in its broad concept is directed to the balanced drive.

. lVhat I claim as my invention is:

1. An internal combustion engine comprising in combination, a cylinder,a piston operable in said cylinder, a sleeve valve between the cylinderand piston having a combined reciprocating and oscillating movement withrespect to the sleeve axis, and a plurality of driving means engageablewith the sleeve at spaced points for imparting the said movement to thesleeve.

2. An internal combustion engine comprising in combination, a cylinder,a piston operable in said cylinder, a sleeve valve between the cylinderand piston having a combined reciprocating and oscillating movement withrespect to the sleeve axis, a plurality of driving mechanisms, andcompensating means connecting said mechanisms with the sleeve fordriving the sleeve with the aforesaid movement.

- 3. An internal combustion engine comprisprising in combination, acylinder, a piston operable in said cylinder, a sleeve valve between thecylinder and piston having a combined reciprocating and oscillatingmovement with respect to the sleeve axis, a plurality of drivingmechanisms, and a ring surrounding the sleeve connected to the saidmechanisms and sleeve at a plurality of points for imparting theaforesaidmovement to the sleeve. I

4;. An internal combustion engine comprising in combination, a cylinder,a piston operable in said cylinder, a sleeve valve between the cylinderand piston having a combined reciprocating and oscillating movement withrespect to the sleeve axis, a pair of valve shafts driven at equalangular velocities from the crankshaft, crank pins-respectively operatedfrom said valve shafts and positioned at opposite sides of the sleeve, aring surrounding the lower end of the sleeve, ball and socketconnections between the ring and crank pins, and connections between thering and sleeve at opposite sides of the sleeve, said ring and sleeveconnections being located at points spaced circumferentially of the ringintermediate the said ring and crank pin connections;

5. An internal combustion engine comprising in combination with acylinder and piston, a sleeve valve coaxial with the cylinder, and meansincluding a compensating mechanism for driving the sleeve at a pluralityof points to impart to the sleeve a combined oscillating andreciprocating movement.

6. An internal combustion engine comprising in combination, a cylinder,a piston operable in said cylinder, a sleeve valve between the cylinderand piston having a combined reciprocating and oscillating movement withrespect to the sleeve axis, a'ring surrounding the lower end of thesleeve, means pivotally connecting the ring and sleeve at points spacedciroumferentially of the ring, and means acting on said ring at aplurality of points spaced circumferentially of the ring and the saidpivotal connecting means for imparting the said movement to the sleeve.

7. An internal combustion engine comprising in combination, a cylinder,a piston operable in said cylinder, a sleeve valve between the cylinderand piston having a combined reciprocating and oscillating movement withrespect to the sleeve axis, and a dual driving mechanism for the sleevehaving provision for compensating for inaccuracies of machining andfitting of the driving mechanism.

8. An internal combustion engine comprising in combination, a cylinder,a piston operable in said cylinder, a sleeve valve between the'cylinderand piston having a combined reciprocating and oscillating movement withrespect to the sleeve axis, and a plurality of substantially similarsleeve driving mechanisms acting on said sleeve at diametricallyopposite points to impart to the sleeve the aforesaid movement.

9. An internal combustion engine comprising in combination, a cylinder,a piston operable in said cylinder, a. sleeve valve between the cylinderand piston having a combined reciprocating and oscillating movement withrespect to the sleeve axis, and a plurality of sleeve driving meanshaving a balanced action on the sleeve to impart the aforesaid movementthereto.

10. An internal combustion engine of the character described comprisinga sleeve valve, multiple driving mechanisms for the sleeve, and meanscompensating for minor variations in machining and fitting parts of thedriving mechanisms.

11. An internal combustion engine of the character described comprisinga sleeve valve,-

a crank case into which the lower end of the sleeve valve extends, and amultiple driving mechanism for imparting balanced drivingaction on thesleeve valve located in the crank case adjacentthe lower end of thesleeve.

12. An internal combustion engine of the character described comprisinga sleeve valve,

a crank case into which the lower end of the sleeve valve extends, and amultiple driving mechanism for imparting balanced driving action on thesleeve valve located in the crank case adjacent the lower end of thesleeve, and on opposite'sides thereof, said driving mechanism beingadapted toimpart to the sleeve a combined reciprocating and-oscillatingmovement.

13. In a sleeve valve engine, acylinder, a sleeve working coaxiallytherewith, a valve shaft, driving mechanism between the valve shaft andsleeve including a ring encircling the lower portion of the sleeve.

14. An internal combustion engine comprising in combination, a cylinder,a piston, a sleeve valve, and sleeve driving means engaging the sleeveat substantially diametrically opposed points and adapted to impart tothe sleeve 21 combined oscillating and reciprocating movement.

15. In a sleeve valve engine, a cylinder and cooperating sleeve valve, adriving member, a driven element connected With the sleeve, and anelement intermediate the driving member and driven element shiftable inresponse to a tendency toward binding in the driving mechanism.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this th day of July, A.D. 1927.

WILLIAM WADDELL.

